Highlights from the author’s week of (always decidedly random) listening and the week’s radio headlines, ending April 29, 2010. Stations I’ve worked with recently in my Edison Research capacity are asterisked.

Station (FM)

WMXB (103.7 The River) Richmond, Va. – Cox’s interesting take on ’90s modern. It’s like Clear Channel’s WRFF (Radio 104.5) Philadelphia in its emphasis on the ’90s and the presence of songs like Beck’s “Loser.” But it’s a lot more like a late ’90s/early ’00s Modern AC in texture (and its heavy dose of Creed). When I first wrote about them, a friend wrote, “Does Modern AC still even exist?” Clearly, one way to circumvent that question is just to take the format back to the days before Faith Hill and Shania Twain then Usher and the Black Eyed Peas complicated that question. Read more about them and see a music monitor here.

Station (HD2/Online)

Oldies WJPT-HD-2 (Solid Gold) 106 Fort Myers, Fla., makes an overdue appearance online, having found the seemingly obvious jeweler sponsorship: Jason and Todd at Southwest Florida’s Diamond District. A broad-playlisted hybrid of “Greatest Hits” and Bob-/Jack-FM which just went from “Love Takes Time” by Orleans to “Love Stinks” by J. Geils as I write.

Format Change

Millcreek’s KYLZ (104.7 The Point) Salt Lake City scoops up Alternative days after longtime Adult Modern KENZ (The End) goes all-’90s as “Gen-X” radio. Despite The End’s recent low profile, the heavy local press coverage when it left the format made clear that this was a big deal in America’s most fervent Modern Rock market ever.

Ratings Stories

KTWV (The Wave) Los Angeles – Okay, we spotlighted them last month. But at that point, somebody might have dismissed it as a fluke, or not representative of changes that had taken place moments before under new PD Jhani Kaye. And it’s not the only good news for Smooth Jazz this month.

WLFM-FM Chicago – Over the last three months, the Smooth Jazz station on the TV-on-the-radio frequency of 87.7 FM has gone 1.2 – 1.5 – 1.7. That ties it with former Smooth Jazz station WNUA (Mega 95.5)’s new Spanish Contemporary format. And both parties are probably a lot happier.

WWMX (Mix 106.5) Baltimore – Adult Top 40’s most aggressive station was up 4.9 – 5.6 in March, despite the addition to the market of Mainstream Top 40 WZFT (Z104.3), which pulled a 3.8 itself. Adult Top 40s with younger competitors never get to breathe a long-term sigh of relief, but in today’s more complicated pop climate, the immediate exodus of all the “real” Top 40 listeners no longer proceeds like clockwork.

KAJA (KJ97) San Antonio, Texas– The fiercest Country battle in America heats up again in March under new PD Travis Moon as KAJA goes 7.4 – 8.0, in third place, right behind KCYY (Y100) 9.3-9.0.

Promotion

Owl In The City" on Top 40 CIDC (Z103.5) Toronto – They supply the Website picture of an owl mascot somewhere in Toronto; (think Travelocity gnome). Listeners figure out the location.

Promotion Name

“Ludacash” on WVEE (V103) Atlanta – The former Atlanta DJ becomes the frontman for the Urban powerhouse’s cash giveaway.

Sign Of The Times Jock Move

Wendy Wild to Middays at WKTU New York from weekends at both WKTU and Top 40 sister WHTZ (Z100). The press release notes that she is also heard on WKCI (KC101) New Haven and KSYU (New 95.1) Albuquerque, N.M.

Unsolicited Programming Idea

“Speaking of variety in a Jack-type format, has any of those variety-based stations ever had a ‘create your own train wreck weekend,’ where listeners suggest two songs that really would sound horrible together, i.e., ‘Two Of Hearts’ by Stacy Q into ‘D.O.A.’ by Bloodrock?” –Robert Cohen

Ad Copy

“You can’t cheer for the orange when you’re turning blue.” – An ad for a heating and cooling contractor proves that UT can be used to sell anything in Knoxville.

Break Note We Weren’t Meant To See

“Top Of The Hour” – From the “songs played” listing on the streaming audio player of a new ’90s-based station. Stations have been haunted for years by the difficulty of controlling what goes from their internal automation to the Website. This one was unusual in that none of the other break notes/jingles/etc., were showing up on the song list.

Consumer Press Radio Story

The Rock radio heyday of KLOL Houston as recalled by the Houston Chronicle’s Ken Hoffman.

Oh Wow Song

“Electric Avenue” by Eddy Grant – Okay, it’s not so unusual to hear this song on the radio, but this was on WDRV (The Drive) Chicago’s A-to-Z special in between “Elected” by Alice Cooper and “Elevation” by U2. An instant throwback to that time in spring ’83 when anything went at an Album Rock format that was trying to figure out what to do about the sudden resurgence of Top 40 and MTV.

Really Oh Wow Song

You can take your pick just from the three hours or so surrounding “Electric Avenue” on WDRV: Bob Welch’s “Ebony Eyes”? Supertramp’s “Even In The Quietest Moments” (not an “oh wow” in Buffalo, but everywhere else)? “Even Now” by Bob Seger? “Dreadlock Holiday” by 10cc? “Down To The Waterline” by Dire Straits?

Out Of Office Message

“Gone fishing … in the desert.” – Charlie Dean, Mercury Nashville makes another appearance in a category that’s been dominated by Nashville record people lately.

“Hi. I am attending the BlackBerry WES2010 conference in sunny Orlando with a most animated bunch of friends and colleagues.” – BlackBerry/RIM’s Pete Watson, whose colleagues are presumably not to be confused with other Orlando animated characters like Mickey, Donald and Pluto.